OFFGRID SPACE lands at UHGBC Exhibition

Houston’s first offgrid building has been completed by METALAB as a research project in the UHGBC (Green Building Components) initative.  The charge has been to team up with industrial partners to perfect the product with regards to its design and access to market.  Harvest Moon Development, ttweak renewables and METALAB have formed a joint-venture to build and distribute these as disaster relief centers, triage/medical offices, security stations, parks & recreation spaces, sales centers, educational centers and construction field offices.

The SPACE’s PV system with battery backup will provide the unit with power for 3-4 days in the event of successive days without sun and a small generator provides a 2nd backup.  Standard Renewable Energy, our region’s largest onsite renewable energy vendor, has provided the technical specification of equipment and installation.  The project will be on view this month at the UHGBC Exhibition opening this Tuesday, Sept. 8th and continuing until Sept. 18th.  Come by and see the other exciting research projects produced by faculty and students at the University of Houston.

Mold fabrication

The molds for the PV Pod prototype are being fabricated at Plastic Mart in Burnet, TX.  Our high-density polyethylene roto-molded vessles will be exhibited at the UHGBC exhibition next month.

UHGBC video

The University of Houston Green Building Components (UHGBC) research initiative has produced a video exhibiting the projects several of us have been working on over the past year. Included are the SPACE, PV Pod and others. Interviews were filmed at UH and Metalab with footage shot at the Mirabeau B site and Campo Sheet Metal. An exhibition of the GBC projects and research program will be hosted at the College of Architecture from September 8th-18th, 2009.